Pender County student faces serious charges after sexting incident

We are two weeks into the new school year, and sexting has already posed a problem in a local school. A Pender County teen was suspended from school after sending cell phone photos showing intimate contact, known as sext messages.
Sexting is sending nude or partially nude pictures via cell phone, and it is a disturbing trend among teenagers. Pender County Detective Scott Lawson said he warned students about the consequences of sexting last year, including this particular student.
"Last year, District Attorney Ben David and I went to each middle and high school in Pender County and we addressed the issue of sexting with all the students in Pender County and advised them that if it continued to be a problem, there would be consequences,” he said. “This year, when the issues came up, and here we are the second week of school, there are going to be consequences."
The student in this recent incident, and anyone the pictures were sent to, could face child pornography or sex offender charges.
Because the student is under 18, we are not revealing a name or the school in question.
What most parents and teens do not realize is by taking these compromising pictures and pushing the send button on a cell phone, they could be charged with manufacturing and disseminating child pornography and face life-altering consequences.

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is this even an issue? Ban cell phones from the school grounds. What are cell phones doing with students on school grounds during the school day?
Are they present for networking or education?
Gracious, school resource officers -- a nice term for deputies on school grounds to maintain order.
Cell phones on school grounds.
Focus on education. Ban cell phones and require students to follow school protocol.

I don't understand why the authorities and anyone else is getting so unglued about this sexting thing. Since the beginning of time, young people have explored the world of sex as soon as their hormones started to drop into overdrive. That is simply the way things are. Nothing has ever or will ever change one of the strongest "drives" in humans. Sending pictures over a cell phone is no big deal. There are a lot more serious things that law enforcement officers could be working on. It is one thing if someone is held and forced to participate in nude photos. It is totally another if it is voluntary.

I know this was posted sometime ago however it is still here and I just read it today. I can't help but wonder if you might feel differently if it was a nude picture of your daughter that was bounced around on everyone's cell phone and if it is on a cell it can just as well be put on the internet. Sure kids have been in hormone overdrive since the beginning of time but the type of media we have today is a far cry from what there was just 20 years ago.

You ever hear of the WORLD WIDE WEB? Means all over the earth and too any perv that has a PC.
These photos do not stay with the receiver, they get sent on especially if someone that dislikes the naked idiot gets hold of it, uploads it to some internet photo site (that is available FREE to anyone) someone sees it they d/l it before anyone reports it for content....etc.etc. GET the picture?
Let your little fools take nasty pictures, one day they will appear again at the most inopportune moment after half of Europe's child pornographers have used it for their jollies.
Gawd you people should not have kids.

I have a 12 yr old at home who has already tried this. I hate to break it to these parents who are "blind" to what is really going on here but sexting leads to sex. Trust me if your teenager is taking it all off and showing it all to other teens then you might wanna tell your kids about birthcontrol b/c this will lead to sex. Parents don't be naive!!!

If these kids are at least 15 years old or older they do know better.when I was a kid I knew you don't take your clothes off or run around half naked or you'll get in trouble. These kids need to quit talking with there fingers and start using there brain.I don't want to here that a 15 year old kid does not know better.If they tell you that they sure not need to have a cell phone.

So a kid who sends a naked pic to her bf is a child pronographer? My god. Am I the only sane person left on Earth? that is the most idiotic thing I have ever heard of. And I'm 43, so I've heard a good bit.

I completely disagree with this statement. 1) Do you really know of any parent who has been able to completely control their kid? Parent's can teach all they want, but kids and are going to do what kids are going to do. 2) No blame should be placed on anyone, because the truth is, none of us know anything about this student, the student's parents, or the students past. Before we go around labeling and making judgments, keep in mind that we have no clue where this student came from and what they have been through in their lifetime.

If all parties concerned are under 18, where is the crime or problem? Kids will be kids. The more this subject is brought up, the more determined young folks are going to be to do it. At least sexting does not cause STDs or pregnancy.

You wont be so nonchalant about it when one of your little girls photos is on some sleazy porn site. Do you actually think that these photos STAY with the receiver? They get sent who knows where to who knows who. ANY SEXUAL PHOTO of a minor is child porn no matter who took it or who sent it.
There should be a BAN on all cell phones at school, period. USE the dang pay phone like the rest of us had to do in school. Ridiculous.

IF there was a true need for a student to make a call there are phones available at every school. I have received many calls from my kids from a school phone because they BETTER not use a cell at school.
I will agree that where we are talking about "other" locations pay phones are scarce and a bit of yesterday in general. Your basic point is taken however.
It really all comes back to teaching right from wrong. There are many other mediums for wrongful activity... I've seen some pretty crude things come right from a copier! Right is right and wrong is wrong. A cell phone or any other "gadget" will never change that...only parents can do that. It has been said here over and over and over and over and over... (oh sorry) again that even proper training can tame a Pit Bull.... cannot the same logic be applied to our children? Just wondering.....

And when was the last time you were in a school and asked to use the phone? When a child asks to use the phone to call a parent even when they are sick, initially, they are denied use of the phone and told that "the school phones are not for student's personal use". If they are sick and try to call a parent it's ususally several hours after they've asked before they actually get to make the call.
On the issue of banning cell phones in schools, did you know some those same phones have GPS devices in them and with particular applications the parent will get a text message when the child (w/the phone) leaves a certain area? This comes in very handy when a child gets picked up and is allowed to go with someone not authorized (and that does happen) or even if a child decides to skip school. In that situation, the parent will know the child left campus before the school even does.
I'm by no means condoning this whole 'sexting' thing and it is something that parents should be discussing with their children and is something that should be addressed. But to have to ruin the rest of a child's life by having to have them register as a sex offender for the rest of their lives does not teach that child (or children) how to become productive members of society. Statistics show that kids who are constantly being pushed down that school-to-prison pipeline will end up committing harsher crimes later.
We, as a society, are so quick to blame the child. So quick to have a child arrested and convicted with adult crimes. But, stop and think. Children learn what they live. Where did they learn it from? And don't just blame the parents either. Children are exposed to a lot more adults that have authority over them and influence their day to day lives; teachers, school administration, aunts, uncles, the media. Take a walk thru the mall and see what you're exposed to. Stop and think of your own actions and if everything you've done has been perfect and then think if a child may have seen you do something wrong. You're teaching them just as much as anyone else. Children are like recorders. They remember and absorb more than you think. And if an 'adult' does something that breaks the law, or violates thier rights in any way, don't you think that is teaching them that it's ok for them to do the same?
Do some reading and research. Check out how this type of thing, depending on what the outcome is, can further allow the violation of our constitutional rights. Are you ready to give up your freedoms? What you have left?